1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc printer, and particularly to a printer in which raised type fonts are integrally formed on the front face of a relatively massive disc that serves as a platen during printing. The invention also relates to an apparatus using this disc printer to imprint machine readable numerals and other indicia onto a bank check.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the processing of conventional bank checks, it is desirable to print onto the check in machine readable form the amount for which the check has been made out. For example, the check 10 in FIG. 1 has been made out in the amount of $60.00. During bank processing, this numerical amount (i.e., "60.00") advantageously is printed in machine readable figures in the lower right hand corner 11 of the check. One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for accomplishing such check printing.
Generally this printing is done as part of the processing when the check reaches the drawee bank. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for facilitating such processing. To this end, the apparatus first reads the information which is preprinted at the bottom 12 of the check in machine readable type. Usually this data includes the drawee bank identification number and the drawer's checking account number. This data enables interrogation of the bank's bookkeeping computer to determine if sufficient funds are present in the identified account to cover the check, the amount of which may be read by an operator from the region 13 of the check, and entered into the computer via a keyboard. If sufficient funds are present, the apparatus then prints the amount of the check in machine readable figures, in the region 11, for future processing.
Concurrent with these operations, the apparatus also prints additional information concerning the transaction in a region 14 of the check and on the back of the check simultaneously. This may include an identification of the particular bank branch at which the check is processed, the date of processing, a transaction number and optionally, the amount of the check. This printing need not be in machine readable format, since it is not required for automatic processing of the check. However, it is desirable that the same information be duplicated onto a roll of paper or other form of ledger to provide a positive written record of the transaction. A further object of the present invention is to provide a check processing apparatus which performs such duplicate printing.
The foregoing description indicates the desirability of providing a printer which is capable of printing both high resolution, machine readable numerals (in the zone 11), and of printing conventional alphanumric characters (in the region 14) without the need for high resolution. A further object of the present invention is to provide such a printer, and specifically to provide a single disc printer capable of such dual printing operation.
As can be seen from FIG. 1, the vertical position or elevation of the printing region 14 is higher than that of the numerical printing region 11. To accomplish such printing at two elevations requires either that the check be transported vertically, or that the printer be capable of printing at two different elevations while the check remains in a fixed vertical position. The latter arrangement is preferred, since it considerably simplifies the requirements for transporting the check through the printing apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to accomplish such printing at dual elevations without requiring vertical movement of the check.
While printers are available which are capable of simultaneously printing plural characters in the same row, these are far more expensive than devices in which characters are printed one at a time, and in which there is relative horizontal movement between the print head and the medium which is being printed. An object of the present invention is to provide a check printer of the latter type, in which the check is transported horizontally past a single print disc. A further objective is to provide a single print disc which itself facilitates printing at two different elevations, and which also serves as the platen for such printing.
The use of a flat platen eliminates the need to curl the check about a cylindrical or other curved platen surface, thereby simplifying the mechanical arrangement for handling the check during printing. A further object of the present invention is to use a relatively massive print disc to function both as a flat platen and as the printhead itself.
To this end, the face of the print disc contains raised type fonts arranged in a spiral or flat helix. The spiral arrangement has the benefit of permitting printing to be accomplished onto a check while it is being linearly moved past the print disc at a uniform rate.
The use of type fonts arranged in a spiral on a rotating type disc is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,199 to Robinson. In that printer, the type disc consists of a plurality of resilient, flexible spokes radiating from a common hub. A single raised type font is formed at the end of each spoke. To accomplish printing, a hammer impacts an individual spoke, and flexes that spoke toward a stationary platen. An ink ribbon and paper are disposed between the flexible spokes and the platen, so that as the spoke is impacted and flexed, the type font on the spoke strikes the ribbon against the paper and platen to accomplish printing.
In the Robinson apparatus, the rotating print disc and its associated hammer together are continuously transported in a horizontal direction along the line of printing. The spiral type arrangement ensures that for a particular print position, the printed character will be centered despite the fact that the print wheel is being transported linearly during the printing operation. The pitch of the spiral compensates for the linear translation.
Rotating print discs having type elements at the end of flexible, radial spokes also are shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,651,915 Folkens, No. 3,915,279 to Schacht, No. 3,924,725 to Kuhn et al, and No. 3,954,163 to Gabor. This type of spoked print disc is disadvantageous in that it requires a separate platen. If printing at two vertical elevations is required, as in a check printer of the type described, the use of a flexible spoked print disc would severely complicate the required mechanism.
In the Robinson printer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,199), a spiral type arrangement is used to compensate for linear movement of the rotating print disc and its associated hammer. The U.S. Pat. No. 2,071,406 to Jerome also shows raised type fonts arranged in a spiral on a printing disc. That disc, however, is part of a weight indicating and printing mechanism. The shaft of the disc is mounted to the lever arm of a scale. With increasing weight, this lever arm is further displaced in a vertical direction. The spiral type arrangement compensates for this vertical shaft movement and permits printing in a fixed vertical plane. Thus the Jerome mechanism, like that of Robinson, uses a spiral type arrangement to compensate for linear movement of the print disc itself. By contradistinction, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a printer in which the rotating print disc is stationarily mounted, and is not moved linearly, but wherein the record medium itself is transported continuously and linearly past the print disc.
In the Jerome printing mechanism (U.S. Pat. No. 2,071,406), the print disc is not spoked. However, the disc itself is quite thin and does not serve as a platen. Rather, a solenoid and yoke mechanism is used to press a platen and an abutment toward each other on opposite sides of the printing disc to accomplish printing. This arrangement is quite satisfactory for very slow speed operation, as when only a single number is being printed. However, the considerable mass of the platen and the abutment means that a relatively long time is required to move these into place to accomplish printing of a single character. Therefore the arrangement is totally unacceptable for high speed printing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a disc printer in which a separate platen is not required, and which is capable of relatively high speed printing.